Hackers' Delight

The position of rock-band manager does not come with job security. Matisyahu and the Killers, who landed major-label deals not long ago, fired the managers who helped steer them toward international recognition.

Rick DeVoe began managing blink-182 in 1992, when the Poway punk trio still played back-yard parties. DeVoe remained their manager, even as the band sold 30 million records. Rick DeVoe Management, which includes assistants Chris Georggin and Kristen Worden, is run from DeVoe's oceanfront home in Encinitas. The firm also handles New Found Glory (Geffen Records), Eisley (Warner Bros.), and pro surfer Timmy Curran.

"We were devastated," says Georggin of the blink breakup last year. "We are friends with all of our bands and their families." Guitarist Tom DeLonge hired DeVoe to manage his new band, Angels & Airwaves. blink bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker switched to L.A.'s Irving Azoff (Lenny Kravitz, Velvet Revolver, Aerosmith) to oversee their new project, Plus 44.

"I first saw a tug-of-war when [Geffen] released blink-182's greatest hits last May," says Garett Michaels of FM-94/9. "The Azoff camp was lobbying for 'Another Girl, Another Planet' [sung by Hoppus] to be the first single. But DeVoe's camp wanted 'Not Now,' which was written and sung by Tom." "Not Now" was selected as the first single; neither song became a hit.

Georggin says the May 23 release of the Angels & Airwaves disc was imperiled by an Internet-savvy fan.

"Somehow, kids hacked into Tom's personal e-mail account and took five songs." One of those songs was the first single, "The Adventure," which found its way to KROQ. "Luckily, only two of the five songs that were hacked were leaked [to the general public]."